Market demand for satellite services with continual connectivity communications using on-the-move and mobile terminals is rapidly increasing. Many customer segments are interested in using open standard technologies to secure such connectivity availability from several suppliers, in a manner similar to that implemented by the cellular mobile phone industry via Global System for Mobile Communications (“GSM”), for example. However, current terminals available for on-the-move and mobile applications are expensive, often use proprietary single source spread spectrum waveforms, and come in large, bulky, and heavy formats that require larger vehicles for transportation.
It is problematic to use small antennas for transmitting open standard waveforms using channel access methods such as frequency division multiple access (“FDMA”), time division multiple access (“TDMA”), multiple frequency time division multiple access (“MF-TDMA”), and all other types of non spread spectrum waveforms. Small antennas have broad antenna lobes and hence transmit power over a large angular region, causing harmful interference to adjacent satellites. This interference problem is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIGS. 1 and 2 show the satellite arc of a crowded frequency band 100, 200 over the Earth's horizon 102, 202. The beam 104 from a standard sized satellite communication antenna 106 to a target satellite 108 transmits power over a small enough angular region to avoid causing interference to adjacent satellites 110. In contrast, because the beam 204 from a smaller antenna 206 to a target satellite 208 has a broader angular region, adjacent satellites 210 are subjected to interference.
The “pay-when-use” billing method (i.e., paying for services only when actually using the service) for fixed satellite service (“FSS”) capacity and mobile ad hoc environments often forces customers to pay for larger bandwidth and longer duration than what is desired or necessary. The pay-when-use billing structure of a mobile satellite service (“MSS”) is expensive because MSS uses lower frequency bands, including L-band, with limited total accessible satellite spectrum. Further, these systems also have low bandwidth throughput capability.
There is, therefore, increasing but unmet demand for a satellite service solution that enables mobile and on-the-move terminals with certain features.